OT - Mr Wizard

TV's 'Mr. Wizard' Don Herbert dies at 89 By LYNN ELBER, AP Television
Writer

Don Herbert, who as television's "Mr. Wizard" introduced generations
of young viewers to the joys of science, died Tuesday. He was 89.
Herbert, who had bone cancer, died at his suburban Bell Canyon home,
said his son-in-law, Tom Nikosey.

"He really taught kids how to use the thinking skills of a scientist,"
said former colleague Steve Jacobs. He worked with Herbert on a 1980s
show that echoed the original 1950s "Watch Mr. Wizard" series, which
became a fond baby boomer memory.

In "Watch Mr. Wizard," which was produced from 1951 to 1964 and
received a Peabody Award in 1954, Herbert turned TV into an
entertaining classroom. On a simple, workshop-like set, he
demonstrated experiments using household items.

"He modeled how to predict and measure and analyze. ... The show today
might seem slow but it was in-depth and forced you to think along,"
Jacobs said. "You were learning about the forces of nature."

Herbert encouraged children to duplicate experiments at home, said
Jacobs, who recounted serving as a behind-the-scenes "science
sidekick" to Herbert on the '80s "Mr. Wizard's World" that aired on
the Nickelodeon channel.

When Jacobs would reach for beakers and flasks, Herbert would remind
him that science didn't require special tools.

"'You could use a mayonnaise jar for that,'" Jacobs recalled being
chided by Herbert. "He tried to bust the image of scientists and that
science wasn't just for special people and places."

Herbert's place in TV history was acknowledged by later stars. When
"Late Night with David Letterman" debuted in 1982, Herbert was among
the first-night guests.

Born in Waconia, Minn., Herbert was a 1940 graduate of LaCrosse State
Teachers College and served as a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot during
World War II. He worked as an actor, model and radio writer before
starting "Watch Mr. Wizard" in Chicago on NBC.

The show moved to New York after several years.

He is survived by six children and stepchildren and by his second
wife, Norma, his son-in-law said. A private funeral service was
planned.

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On the Net:

http://www.mrwizardstudios.com